The problematic Joss Whedon wrote Our Mrs. Reynolds which had an air date of 4 October, 2002, and introduced a character that not only had a huge effect on Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), but also on viewers.

The stunning Christina Hendricks appears as Saffron, a woman who shows up on Serenity claiming to be Mal’s wife, after the crew helps a town out, and his acceptance of a wreath from her says they are wedded. Course, she’s actually a con artist, and things are going to go sideways for Mal and the crew really fast. But until that reveal, the entire crew seems to have a wonderful time causing him grief over everything.

It’s also fun to see how much Saffron flusters Mal. And once she starts taking out the crew, the episode really entertains. Damn, this series was so fantastic. Ending this one is going to be hard. I haven’t watched it in over a decade, and it’s so much fun digging into it again. I really don’t want it to end (again).

The episode also features the iconic line, “I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you.” and “Whoa. Good bible.” But there’s some great stuff from everyone, and Wash (Alan Tudyk), Jayne (Adam Baldwin) and Zoe (Gina Torres) all have fantastic bits, including the introduction of Vera.

This is a hoot of an episode, and through the narrative, we get more character history revealed, and some character insights. It’s a really great episode. The cast is top-notch, the dialogue crackles, and it’s all shiny.

And the episode was directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, iconic actor and director!

Jaynestown was written by Ben Edlund and aired originally on 18 October, 2002.

Jayne Cobb is announced as the Hero of Canton; he’s got himself a statue, and a song(!), because he accidentally dropped a lot of money from a bank robbery he pulled off. The locals thought it was because he was giving them the money. So he’s now a folk hero and a target for a local boss, Higgins (Gregory Itzin). And he also happens to have Jayne’s ex-partner, Stitch (Kevin Gage) locked up, and he wants revenge.

We get a look at some flirtation between Kaylee (Jewel Staite) and Simon (Sean Maher), right from the beginning of the episode, and then when they’re getting drunk together, until he screws it up again. I love seeing their dance around one another, as they attempt to reconcile their feelings and desires for one another. And there’s that great moment between River (Summer Glau) and Shepard Book (Ron Glass) when his hair is loose, not to mention their discussion about the bible.

And Inara (Morena Baccarin) conducts some business. Once again, all of the characters have their moments, and there is a lot of fun to be had here. And her client is Higgins’ son, and maybe able to help the crew out before things get too dangerous for them.

There are some fantastic moments, and Baldwin really gets a chance to shine in this one. And watching this one, and all the ones before this one, you realize how brilliant all the dialogue in the series is. It’s so well thought out and crafted and every member of the main cast is perfectly cast.

This episode marks the halfway point. We’re coming up on the end way too quick.